To save money.

Let’s break this down to its constituent parts.

Firstly, you require a second generation smart meter (SMETS2). You may have already had a smart meter installed. If so it probably came with a daft display that didn’t really seem to tell you anything useful. There seemed to be no point in it. A lot of people put their in-home displays in a drawer and never looked at them. The government was pushing the industry to roll-out something it had no interest in adopting. This is the problem with incumbent monopolies.

The SMETS2 meter is much better. But on its own it still doesn’t do anything. What you then require is a ‘smart’ energy tariff. The energy market has been completely shaken up by the arrival of Octopus Energy. They are introducing a series of new tariffs aimed at customers with solar panels, electric cars, battery storage, heat pumps – and second generation smart meters. The monopoly incumbents don’t do this.

Time of use. What the SMETS2 smart meter allows the energy firm to do is to buy and sell electricity from you at variable prices throughout the day. Once the entire country has adopted this technology, we’ll have a smart grid.

So doubtless you’ll have noticed that the sun doesn’t always shine and the wind doesn’t always blow. The smart grid needs to control the demand and supply of electricity to ensure the grid is stable and balanced.

In the future, you’ll be able to sell your electricity to the grid between 4 – 7 pm for a premium, and you’ll be able to buy it from the grid between 1 – 4 am very cheaply.

Shhh. If you have an EV & Home Battery Storage, you can do this now! The future is here!

The smart grid is what is going to allow the UK to fully decarbonise its electricity grid.

What is the payback time for my investment?

This is difficult to generalise, because it depends on the cost of your installation, the prices of your energy tariff, and how you use the electricity.

But 4-5 years payback is typical

What is the lifespan of the battery?

The battery will be guaranteed for 10 years. This guarantee is not simply to say that it still functions, but that it still functions with a specified minimum capacity (usually at least 80%)

What else do I need to know?

There is a lot to consider with a home battery installation. It can make sense to do it on its own, with or without Solar PV. Perhaps you have a property that is unsuitable for roof top Solar PV, but you do have an electric vehicle. There are many use cases that will save you money, and allow you to have an excellent return on your investment.

A consultation with Brimstone Energy will go into the detail with you, and help you make a sensible decision.

.Let Brimstone Energy be your partner as we navigate these changes together.